Far Cry 5’s Endings, And What They Mean

As you saw from our previously posted review, Ubisoft’s Far Cry 5 is quite an open world trip. You find yourself going up against a heavily fortified cult called Eden’s Gate in the middle of Montana, using every resource and ally you can find to bring them down.

The game is a lot of fun, but what makes it really interesting is that there are three different endings available – and they aren’t quite as clear-cut as you might think they are. Thus, we’ve broken down what each of them has to offer below.

Now, word of warning – there are spoilers ahead. If you haven’t beaten the game yet, you might want to wait, or you’ll run smack dab into having the endings ruined. Otherwise, if you’re prepared, feel free to proceed and see what each one has to offer…

The “Good” Ending

Ironically, the “good” ending for Far Cry 5 isn’t as “good” as you would want it to be. During the finale, Joseph Seed gives you a choice to either walk away with your allies in tow, or “resist” and try to save his soldiers, hypnotized by the Bliss drug.

If you choose to walk away, Seed wishes you well on your journey and orders his men to free the others. After a brief argument between members of your party, you load up in a car and drive away. The elderly sheriff swears that the first thing he’ll do when he gets to Missoula is call in the National Guard to level the place.

But before he does, he turns on the radio, and The Platters’ “Only You” begins playing. Suddenly, your character starts to see flashes of red, and when the sheriff asks, “What’s wrong?”, the screen fades to black.

So what’s it mean? Essentially, this “good” ending is anything but, since your party members likely end up dead. Remember, Jacob Seed implanted the “Only You” song as a trigger in your head to make you act out in uncontrollable rage, killing everyone around you. So when it plays on the radio, there’s a safe bet that everyone in the car dies, either from your attacks or a car wreck.

Bottom line – most of your party, including you, likely end up dead, and Seed begins rebuilding his Eden’s Gate cult. And remember, that’s the “good” ending.

The “Bad” Ending

Again, this could be up for interpretation, but the “bad” ending to Far Cry 5 has deeper meaning. If you resist Seed and his soldiers, you end up in a brief firefight where you end up rescuing your other friends and eventually subduing Seed.

However, it’s not over yet. As you put the cuffs on him, a nuclear bomb goes off, pretty much taking Hope County with it. The sheriff and your team (along with Seed) make a break for the car and try to drive through the woods as they light up in flames, but the car suddenly crashes.

The rest of the team is dead, and Seed ends up dragging you to Dutch’s nearby bunker – where he’s managed to kill off the old man. As you’re bound to the nearby bed, Seed explains that he saw this coming, and that you’re his family now, as he prepares to rebuild Eden’s Gate. He then sits back calmly and listens to the destruction above, as the screen fades to black.

So what’s it mean? Well, like the “good” ending, Seed considers rebuilding his cult and most of your party members are dead. But the real question here is the blame.

Now, there is the notion that Seed planted the bomb as a back-up plan, in case his cult couldn’t defeat you. But, then again, he could’ve had that detonation in mind, planning something anew for his cult. And his fellow members could’ve known that and been prepared to hide in a military bunker while letting the apocalypse wash over everyone.

So, yeah, Seed wins yet again, and you lose.

The “Secret” Ending

Finally, there’s this alternate ending for Far Cry 5, where, if you pretty much do nothing, you basically get nothing done. But it’s probably the “best” ending you’ll find within the game, even if you don’t play it.

You begin by going into the church with your crew as Seed gives his lecture, and then he leans forward to get handcuffed. He’ll stand there for a few minutes, and maybe utter something along the way. But, if you end up doing nothing, the sheriff pretty much calls on your team to exit the church.

The federal marshal threatens to jail you all, but the sheriff explains that if you had cuffed him, none of your team would have made it out alive. And damn it, he’s right.

So what’s it mean? By not bringing chaos to the cult, Seed basically allows you to leave scot-free. It’s the least eventful ending, but it makes sense, since the sheriff pretty much foresaw your doom going the other way.

And it’s not the first time that Ubisoft has offered a clear-cut ending for a Far Crygame. Back in Far Cry 4, if you end up waiting on Pagan Min without doing a thing in the game, he comes back, explains a little bit about your family, lets you put your mother’s ashes in their place, and then offers you to shoot some “goddamn guns” with him.

So, yeah, uneventful ending. But it’s neat to see at least once.

Far Cry 5 is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.